Issue Position: Drug Epidemic

Issue Position

In 2015, I was part of the New York State Assembly Task Force on Heroin Addiction and Community Response. We traveled the state listening to over 40 hours of testimony from recovered addicts, family members, medical professionals, and members of law enforcement. Together, we wrote a report that has been hailed by many in the field as the most comprehensive report on the topic, to date. We have since seen many of our proposals passed and signed into law or enacted administratively.

I'm a supporter of Treatment on Demand because we need to be able to accept someone into treatment the moment they are ready and begin seeking help. I also support giving families tools they need to help their loved ones receive treatment.

I believe we need to restructure the way we look at treatment, establishing Individualized Care Plans that guide recovery and reevaluate our Insurance Laws and Reimbursement Rates to include better drug treatment.

Improvements to our Criminal Justice and Judicial systems are needed to help stop the flow of drugs into our communities. We also need to improve communication between our Correctional Facilities and Addiction Services.

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